Conveyer



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m 'ATToRNExs Feb. 3, 1953 w. s. WHITING, JR

' CONVEYER Filed M312, 1950 Z Z I m i w m ab wu l Feb. 3, 1953 w. s. WHITING, JR

CONVEYER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 2, 1950 Y Wm INVENTOK [fill/W006! lfi/iia' ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVEYER William S. Whiting, J r., Camden, S. 0.

Application May 2, 1950, SerialNo. 159,489

2 Claims This invention relates to conveyors and more particularly to power-driven conveyors of the endless type which are adapted to traverse a circuit in a single horizontal plane, the loadbearing portion of the conveyor being articulated so as to make turns of rather short radius. Such conveyors find ready use in many arts, wherein either individual articles or bulk material are to be transported; and, although the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein is designed to provide a yarn conveyor for spooler machines in the textile industry, its utility is in no wise limited thereto.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved conveyor of the class described.

The invention, in its preferred embodiment, contemplates the provision of an endless belt conveyor which not only affords a substantially continuous horizontal carrying surface but which also provides its own side wall structure. Many prior proposals have envisioned the use of articulated bottom plates but have guided the conveyor flights between stationary walls along the conveyor orbit, against which walls the transported goods, material; or articles must rub or scrape in. their passage. In the case of some more durable articles such as cans, bottles or the. like, this is of little moment. However, in the case of more frangible articles, or of' textile material, it can be readily seen that such friction. of the conveyed material against the walls past which they are moved can be very undesirable if not positively damaging to the conveyor system or to the goods themselves. The invention therefore provides a conveyor, the flights of which together provide a unitary side wall structure which is articulated in a novel way to provide continuous substantially impervious walls which travel with the conveyor itself and thus require little or no relative movement between the load and the walls.

Other objects and features of novelty, includ' ing improved conveyor'chain construction, guide roller. and track installation, and chain and flight connections, will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodi of the conveyor taken on line 2-'--2 of Figure 1-;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the conveyor as it appears when passing around a curve; and

Figure 5 is a transverse fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

The novel conveyor illustrated inthe drawings is designated generally by the referencenumeral Ill and comprises a substantially horizontal ar ticulated load-carrying surface which, except for: certain minor clearance spaces between the relatively movable flights which go to make up this surface, is substantially solid and imperforate. The several flights of which the load-carrying surface is composed are designated broadly by the reference numeral t2 and, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, are substantially crescent shaped, departing only from a true crescent in that the side edges of the flights are parallel instead of conforming to the arcuate configuration of the rear edge. Articulated side walls are provided for the conveyor upon each side edge of the load-carrying surface and. these walls are indicated generally by the reference numerals l4 and [5, the side walls" M and i5 being carried. along with. the conveyor and thus avoiding relative movement between: the load and.

the walls. The conveyor illustrated and described herein is adapted to turn in one direction. only around a curved. orbit and the side wall. M is adapted for the outside of such a turn and the side wall. l5 for the inside thereof. The pe culiar construction or". each wall for accomplish ing this purpose will be. describedlaterp.

The movable part. of the conveyor is supported upon. a framework H and the load supporting:

surface provided by the flights 12 may be sus-' tained, at least along the straightaway portions of the orbit, by the rollers 18 carried by the brackets l9 secured to the horizontal elements 20 of the supporting framework IT.

For the purpose of drawing the conveyor l0 along its orbit and confining it' properly thereto,

the conveyor chain designated generally by the reference numeral 25 is provided. The construction and arrangement of this chain 25 will be bestunderstood from an inspection of Figures 3 and 5 of the drawings. The chain comprises generally a system of aligned overlapping and pivotally connected lower link elements 26" and a spaced series of upwardly disposed overlapping pivotally connected link elements 21. link elements comprise strap-like bars of" equal The lower m n l.

length and uniform pivoting, the forward and rear end portions of each link element being offset by approximately the thickness of the element and having an inclined intermediate portion connecting the two fiat end portions. The overlapping ends of the link elements 26 are provided with registering opening-s designated respectively by the reference numerals 36 and 3i, the opening 30 being of slightly larger diameter than the rearward opening 3|. These openings 30 and 3| are disposed preferably at equa1 distances from the respective ends of the links 26.

The upper links 2'! are somewhat differently formed, although they, too, are provided with offset forward and rear ends to provide for the overlap of the successive links. The forward ends of the links 21 are provided with openings 32 of the same diameter as the openings 30 in the lower links and registering therewith. The trailing end of each upper link 21 is provided with a corresponding opening 33 of generally the same diameter as the openings 3! in the trailing ends of the lower links 26. However, the trailing ends of the upper links 2'! are extended rearwar-dly for a considerable distance beyond the pivot opening to form a rearwardly offset extension 35.

As most clearly shown in Figures 2 and of the drawings the registering openings 36, 3|, 32 and 33 of the two systems of the links are adapted to surround the pivoting and guiding assembly forming the hinging or pintle portion of the chain, This assembly includes the pivot pin 40 which may be provided with a rivet-like head 4| received within the opening 33 which may, if desired, be countersunk for that purpose. The pivot pin 46 passes downwardly through a hardened bushing 42 which has narrowed shouldered portions 43 and 44 at the ends thereof received within the openings 36 and 32 of the links 26 and 27. The lower end of the pin 46 itself passes through the link opening 3| and may be provided with a cotter element or retainer 35 in a well-known manner.

An'intermediate enlarged portion 46 is provided on the bushing 46 and this serves the purpose of providing an inner race for the roller bearings 41, the outer race of which is indicated at 48. This anti-friction bearing assembly provides a roller element for contacting portions of a track for guiding the conveyor and may be designated generally by the reference numeral 50. The rollers 56, along the straight portions of the track may be guided by the angle strips 52 as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. However, on the curves, there is provided an inner track or rail 55 against which the roller 50 is adapted to bear, this rail being of such a height as not to interfere with the angling of the links 26 and 2! as the chain passes around the curve.

The several crescent-like flights 12 are rigidly secured to the rearward extensions 35 of the successive upper links 21, preferably by welding as indicated at 51, and this is the sole fixed connection of the several flights upon the conveyor chain. Each of the flights I 2 has an areuate rear edge 66 and an arcuate forward edge 6|, these arcs preferably being circular arcs and each one centered upon the pivot pin 46 of the joint or pintleof the chain next preceding the pintle pin which is closest to the extension 35 to which the particular flight is welded. Thus, from an inspection of Figures 1, 3 and 4, it will be seen that the flight marked A is rigidly secured to the link extension marked B and it is arranged for pivotal movement about the pintle center marked C 2,627,839 r i M.

edges 60 and 6|, tabs or lips 63 are provided, these elements 63 being preferably welded to the side or cusp portions of the forward edges 6! and adapted to underlie and support the rearward edges 60 of the adjacent flights. Conveniently, the edges 60 and 6| are cut away as at 65 and 66 to provide access to the pins 40, in order to repair or dismantle the conveyor chain.

Each flight l2 departs slightly from the true crescent shape by the provision of straight parallel side edges as at if]. The articulated side wall assemblies M and i5 comprise separate relatively movable elements or sections 15 and 16, the element 75 being rigidly secured to the straight side edges 16 of the flights as by welding as at 16. The rearward portion of each of the elements E5 is contiguous with the side edge if! of a flight and has a forward extension T! which has an intermediate offset is therein to enable the successive sections 15 to overlap snugly during passage along straight portions of the track as indicated in Figure 1. This side Wall 14 is adjacent the outer side of the turn and during the turn there is relative movement between the forward and rear edges of the section 15, the extension ll of one section 75 moving rearwardly with respect to the preceding section with the forward edge 78' moving along the inner surface of the preceding section ?5 and maintaining rather snug contact therewith up to the limit of relative movement indicated in Figure 4, and thus providing a continuous articulated outer side wall.

The inner side wall I5 is of somewhat different construction in order to allow for the necessary angling and telescoping of the sections '16 while taking a turn. Each inner section 76 is welded to the straight side margin 70 of the flight l2 as at 8B and its forward extension 8| is of peculiar configuration comprising a rather sharply angled portion 82 directed inwardly toward the center line of the conveyor, and then another fairly sharply angled bend 83 causing the extension Bl to flare outwardly again toward its forward edge. The result of this conformation is readily apparent from Figures 1 and 4. During straight travel, the forward edge 85 of the extension 8| rests against the inner surface of the next preceding section '76 adjacent the extreme rear edge thereof withthe outer portion of the extension 85 following the curvature of the arcuate rear edge 66 of the preceding flight. When rounding a curve, the successive elements 16 telescope, the rear edge 81 of the leading section 76 moving rearwardly with respect to the following section 16 and moving into the angle 83 as the maximum curvature is approached, this being clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an endless belt conveyor of the type adapted to negotiate a turn in the horizontal plane of the load carrying surface in one direction of turning only, in combination, a conveyor chain, a series of approximately crescent-shaped conveyor flights carried by said chain and articulated for cooperation during movement of the conveyor about a horizontal turn to provide a substantially continuous uninterrupted load carrying surface, each of said flights comprising a plate having straight parallel side edges and circular-arc forward and rear edges, the respective forward and rear edges of adjacent flights having relative pivotal movement about the center of said arouate edges, articulated side walls for said conveyor comprising separate sections each carried by one of the straight parallel side edges of the respective flights and having portions extending beyond the said edges into overlapping relationship with the side wall section of the next adjacent flight, the extended portions of the side walls on the inside of the turn overlapping the inner surface of the next adjacent side wall and being provided with an angular inward bend providing a recess in the outer wall of the extension to accommodate the angled edge of said next adjacent wall section when the sections are telescoped on a turn.

2. An interconnected articulated flight system for endless belt conveyors of the type capable of making a turn in one direction only in the horizontal plane of its load carrying surface comprising, in combination, a series of somewhat crescent-shaped plate-like flight elements having straight parallel side edges and circular-arcuate parallel fore and aft edges, the side edges maintaim'ng substantial alignment during straightaway travel and the adjacent arouate edges shifting arcuately in a horizontal direction about the center of curvature of said arcuate edges relatively to each other during a turn, forwardly projecting portions on each side wall section on the outside of the turn offset approximately the thickness of the wall, parallel with, and overlapping the inner surface of the next adjacent forward section, forwardly projecting portions on each side wall section on the inside of the turn also overlapping the inner surface of its next adjacent forward section but having an angular inward offset therein to form a triangular indentation to accommodate the edge of said next forwardly adjacent wall section as it swings inwardly of the conveyor when the sections are relatively moved during a turn.

WILLIAM S. WHI'IING, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 580,533 Reynolds Apr. 13, 1897 679,573 Potter July 30, 1901 1,424,850 Purcell Aug. 8, 1922 2,150,610 Rafietto Mar. 14, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 361,022 Germany Oct. 9, 1922 

